Mumbai gangrape case: Editor to be examined as defence witness

Mumbai: A Mumbai sessions court, conducting the trial in the Shakti mill telephone operator gangrape case, on Monday allowed defence lawyers to examine the editor of a city-based English daily as a witness.

“The defence has submitted a list of the witnesses to be examined by them, but for now the court has given permission to call the editor as a witness,” said Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.

Police had arrested Mohammed Ashfaq Sheikh, Mohamed Kasim Hafiz Sheikh alias Kasim Bangali, Salim Ansari, Vijay Jadhav and a minor for raping the 18-year-old telephone operator on 31 July last year.

A chargesheet was filed against the four accused on 8 October while the trial of the juvenile was separated.

In another case, a young journalist, interning with an English magazine, was gangraped by five persons, including a juvenile, on the same compound in August last year.

Vijay Jadhav, Kasim Bengali and Salim Ansari are the common accused in the gangrape of the journalist.

While four of the five accused, namely Vijay Jadhav, Kasim Bengali, Salim Ansari and Siraj Rehman, were charged with rape, conspiracy, common intention, unnatural sex and charges under Information Technology Act, the trial of the juvenile was separated.

The Mumbai crime branch had on 19 September filed a 600-page charge sheet against the four accused.

PTI